Michael Proctor
Papers
1
Total Citations
57
H-Index
1
About
Michael Proctor is a chemical biologist whose work bridges high-throughput screening and eukaryotic cell biology to accelerate drug discovery. His primary research focuses on developing innovative assay platforms that leverage the budding yeast *Saccharomyces cerevisiae* as a model system for identifying biologically active small molecules. Proctor’s major contribution is the creation of a high-throughput yeast halo assay, a novel toxicity screen that is both easily automatable and compatible with large-scale compound libraries. This method, detailed in his most-cited 2007 paper (57 citations), enables rapid detection of bioactive compounds by measuring growth inhibition zones, effectively transforming yeast into a robust tool for early-stage drug discovery. By simplifying and scaling the screening process, Proctor’s work has made it possible to efficiently probe eukaryotic cellular pathways and uncover new lead compounds. His notable achievement lies in demonstrating that a classic microbiological technique—the halo assay—can be adapted for modern, high-throughput chemical biology, offering a cost-effective and biologically relevant alternative to traditional mammalian cell screens. For students and researchers, Proctor’s approach exemplifies how fundamental model organisms can be repurposed to solve pressing challenges in therapeutic development.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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